Zarter: An Untraditional Egyptian Wedding
by Zarter4ever
Summary: When Carter proposed to Zia, it turned their entire lives upside down. Between Sadie constantly playing tricks, Carter's family showing up at every turn, and Zia's obsessive compulsive planning, this wedding may just be exact opposite of Ma'at. Follow Carter and Zia as they prepare for their upcoming wedding! Zarter with some Sanubis! Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KANE CHRONICLES.
1. Chapter 1: The Proposal

Zarter fanfiction

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It's hard to focus on preventing the demise of mankind when a particularly, handsome, unselfish, courteous boy is next to you. Especially if that boy happens to be my boyfriend, Carter Kane. We are sitting in the great room on either side of the glass coffee table, arguing about what to do now that Setne has returned, and is adamant on getting revenge for his time in captivity.  
"Carter I understand you think we should leave Setne's punishment to your father, but honestly, I think if we catch him we need to unleash the Seven Ribbons of Hathor and figure out a way to permanently get rid of him."  
"But Z", Carter pleads with me, his brown eyes shimmering with hazel undertones,"I still feel kind of bad for not returning Setne to my dad last time."  
By last time, Carter is referring to when he had prevented the end of the world by saving me from Apophis, but all he could think about was how he had "let go of an important prisoner." Leave it to Carter to still feel as if saving mankind was a huge failure. At least the world hadn't ended...  
I need to focus on making my point but all these emotions are getting in the way of my progress. I'm still not sure if Carter is the best thing or the worst thing that has ever happened to me. After dating him for the last 4 years, things between us haven't seemed to change. Carter sweet and courteous. Me with my barrier of stoic faces only he could melt through. I'm 19 now, and even though things have been rough for the last 4 years with Carter taking on the role of pharaoh, I still had this completely unexplainable desire to be his queen. To rule beside him. I find myself constantly pushing these thoughts to the back of my mind, but they are still there in my consciousness. I am snapped back into reality when Carter snaps his fingers in front of my blank eyes, a slight smirk on his face. I must have been zoning out.  
"Z?" He chuckles,"What are you thinking about?"  
"Um...nothing."  
"You're lying."  
"And you're annoying."  
He rolls his eyes before pressing his lips to mine and I glare at him before defiantly wiping his kiss from my lips with the back of my hand.  
He rolls his eyes again.  
"No really, tell me what you're thinking about."  
I pause reluctantly and look down at my lap before replying.  
"I-I care about you Carter. Actually more than that, I love you, and I know I don't say that enough, but I do. And-"  
I am interrupted by Carter kneeling down on one knee in front of my chair, distracting me from my thoughts. In his hand, he holds a small black box that he has opened up to reveal the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. The gems are a mix of citrine, sapphire, and garnet, giving it the illusion of fire, and they are set in a thick gold band with flames engraved throughout. He must have had it custom made.  
"Zia Rashid, Will you marry me?"  
Tears of joy run down my cheeks without my consent. Instead of replying I simply pull him into a hug and kiss his lips until they're the same light pink shade of my nude lip gloss.  
Carter still seems confused,"That's a yes right?"  
"Yes you idiot!"  
"Oh good, because I didn't mean to ask you right at this moment, but it seemed like the right time and everything, and I had already planned this huge date at that five-star restaurant near 5th Avenue, and I really didn't want you to-"  
I think back to our first date at the mall after Apophis was defeated. How did I shut him up? Oh yeah, I did this. I kiss him again, shutting him up for good.

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I'm in the kitchen illustrating my proposal to Sadie while she sits on the counter attacking a bowl of ice cream. I lean awkwardly on the dishwasher, my tall figure not able to comfortably fit under the row of cabinets above the counter.  
"So she agreed to marry you?" Sadie says, the confusion on her face apparent.  
"Why is that so hard to believe?"  
"Because I thought there was hope for her!"  
I glared at Sadie.  
"Calm down Carter I'm only messing with you," Sadie laughed before lightly punching me on the shoulder.  
Even though Sadie was now 17, she still acted like the same endearingly bratty 12 year old who convinced me to spy on our Dad at the London Museum.  
"Although I AM especially afraid for your wedding night brother, dear."  
Once again, I glare at her to her extreme amusement.  
"Will uh- you help Zia with the wedding plans and stuff?" I feel bad that she hasn't been able to make many friends here in Brooklyn other than the initiates, and I know that she's become annoyingly close to my sister, so I need to have her support in this.  
Sadie just rolls her eyes, "I was going to whether you liked it or not."  
My sister is impossible. I sigh and decide to go to the great room rather than undergo another volley of her condescending remarks. She spits a number of insults behind me, which include the classic "Carter-headed chicken" along with some fresh new insults about my height, and as she puts it, my "ever growing head circumference." In the great room, Zia is sitting cross-legged on the couch grimacing as Jaz paints her nails a rather sickly shade of pink.  
"It's a very bride-esque color", Jaz explains as she carefully runs neon pink streaks on Zia's fingernails.  
Zia nods, as if the sight of the nail-polish is making her sick, but she will do it because of her longing to look like a bride.  
"Hey Z."  
Zia turns and blushes, embarrassed that I caught her in one of her few moments of vanity. I have to stifle a laugh and I wrap one of my arms around her small waist before picking up the remote to tune in to the Laker's game. Unfortunately, they're losing. I wish my dad were here so I could discuss their terrible new coach, but he's probably busy on underworld business. There are very few perks to having your dad also be a 5,000 year old blue death god who can only be visited in the depths of the Duat. Zia messes up her nails when she goes to the kitchen to get us some snacks. Because of me, she's managed to deeply ingrain herself in Laker's games, so much that she's actually got a jersey herself.

Later that day, Jaz rolls her eyes at us as we boo at the blue light of the television screen when the Laker's game ends in a disappointing loss.  
"It was such a close game!" Zia insists  
"In what world is 81 to 17 close?" I reply.  
"Whatever Carter," she says, playfully slapping my shoulder before nestling herself onto my chest.  
For some reason I am reminded of my embarrassing run-in with Khufu when I was 14, and he and his baboon friends beat me to a pulp. Sadie's cheerful words in her shrill accent ring in my mind: "All that talk about basketball and the Lakers, and you're absolute rubbish! Beaten by monkeys!"  
A twinge of past embarrassment causes my shoulder to shift nervously and Zia looks up at me with a concerned expression.  
"Carter, what's wrong?"  
"My inability to play basketball."  
"What you lack in basketball skill you make up for in your inept ability to battle chaos serpents who want to eat me."  
She pecks me on the lips.  
"Well when you put it that way..."  
She laughs at me, her usual laugh replaced by a shrill, girly one I've never heard before. Strangely, I find myself liking it, which I then mentally scold myself for. I can't expect Zia to change just because I proposed to her. Can I?  
Zia looks up at me before talking, "When can we go over wedding stuff?"  
This is strange, I decide, very strange. Did _my_ girlfriend seriously just ask to discuss wedding plans? Maybe things have changed since I proposed...  
"Sure."  
She apparently must have been planning this all day, because she pulls out a binder roughly the size of a short novel.  
"I have everything separated into 6 categories," she explains,"Dress, music, food, decorations, themes, and possible gowns", she says, showing me the very carefully color-coded tabs in her light green binder.  
She has the ceremony laid out similarly to a battle plan, using the word "execute" several times, and featuring detailed ceremony diagrams, complete with a confusing number of x's, arrows, and circles.  
Thirty minutes later, Zia is still explaining to me the very, very confusing concept of the ceremony she's put together.  
"See? This _red_ circle is me walking down the aisle, while this _blue_ circle is me after my dress is no longer on fire."  
"Then what is the green circle?"  
Zia sighs, exasperated with my inability to understand the ceremony diagram,"The _green_ circle is me once I'm at the end of the aisle!"  
"Why couldn't you have just drawn an arrow?"  
"Because the arrows are only for members of the bridal party! See I have it color-coded which you would know if you actually looked at the key!"  
I take a furtive glance towards the key, which is basically a tiny square full of colors, which then have to be matched to shapes, which then have to be located on the confusing, busy diagram.  
"What's the green triangle again?"  
"You're impossible Carter!"  
"I'm just trying to understand!" I say holding my hands up in defense, as suddenly Zia's body becomes hot to the touch. I notice the new fireproof leather couch sizzling in response to Zia's body temperature. She flicks me giving me a slight burn on my shoulder before returning to the somehow unburnt diagram. She then turns to what she refers to as "the purple section" in her binder.  
"You have to go dress-shopping with me and Sadie tomorrow."  
I hold my tongue from mentioning there's a game tomorrow by kissing Zia's still cooling down lips.  
"Sure."  
I can tell she also knew there was a game tomorrow because I get an uncharacteristically long kiss back and sahlab as a reward.  
"We're going to that dress shop Kleinfeld's on West 20th"  
Oh no no no. No no no. Kleinfeld's is the ritziest most expensive dress shop Zia could have ever chosen. I'll be living on nothing but peanut butter, cereal, and water for months! I take a few deep breaths.  
"Okay."  
I get another uncharacteristically long kiss and a little more patience when it comes to going over the equally as confusing reception diagram. I suddenly realize why Zia has been exceptionally gooey today. When we finish going over the diagram, I am about to mention her sudden "change in character" when she gives me a quick kiss and skips up the steps to her room. I'm in for a long week.


	2. Chapter 2: A Bridal Shop Frenzy

**Hi! Jessica here! I'm so happy I've gotten positive feedback so far a about my story, so for one of my reviewers, I've decided to put a bit of Sanubis in this chapter. Thanks! Please favorite and follow! :) I'm still having a bit of trouble writing Zia, but I think I'm getting the hang of it! Constructive criticism more than welcome. ;)**

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I hate having this constant battle in my mind since the moment Carter proposed to me. Struggling between those weak, girly feelings of wanting to have the most amazing wedding ever, and my usual ones that are fiery, hot and aren't afraid to be upset at Carter, at Sadie, at Jaz and most importantly, at Anubis.

"I like the black, gauzy one you chose from before."

My voice came out tenser than I might have been hoping for, "Osiris help us I am _not_, I repeat _not_, getting a black wedding dress!"

When I asked Sadie to come dress-shopping with Carter, Jaz, and I, I wasn't expecting her to bring along her depressing, death god of a boyfriend! The attendant who was helping to find my dress honestly looked shocked when she saw I had bought this dark, dreadful boy to what was supposed to be a bright occasion. As I stood on a raised pedestal in front of tall, lighted mirrors, Carter, Sadie, Anubis, and Jaz were sitting on a long, plush couch in front of me. Carter kept fidgeting and patting his wallet, Sadie was curled up with Anubis and was agreeing with all of his terrible dress choices, and Jaz kept arguing that my dress needed to have brighter colors and that white looked extremely dull on me. Holy Horus, I needed a miracle if I was going to find the right dress today. The attendant trying to find my dress was doing her best to try to fit all of our needs. I wanted something gauzy, Carter something within his budget, Anubis and Sadie something black, and Jaz something with neon colors throughout. The attendant fidgeted and tried to look calm when she announced she would try and find yet another dress. For the 18th time.

I sighed, "You people are impossible to dress shop with! I'm sending all of you out of here RIGHT NOW except for Carter! And only him because he's setting the budget!"

"But Zia", Sadie started. "We only want to-"

"Go!"

"But-"

"Go!" I said more forcefully.

Carter kneaded his forehead in his fingers and mumbled something under his breath. Sadie, Jaz, and Anubis quietly walked towards the exit. I must have looked like quite the Bridezilla with my arms crossed defiantly around my waist and my face twisted into a look of pure insanity. I noticed small flames involuntarily flickering on my fingertips and Carter raised his eyebrows at me until I extinguished them. A few confused workers looked tentatively at my fingertips as they were still smoking, but decided to go about their business rather than be torched by the evil Bridezilla who kicked out her wedding party and sets things on fire.

After they all left, I broke down and cried, simply letting myself fall onto the mirrored pedestal. Carter rolled his eyes before coming to comfort me, sitting himself next to me and slinking one of his arms around my shoulders.

"Did you really think kicking out your friends and setting yourself on fire was the answer to finding the perfect dress?" He said, bending down so that he could look into my eyes.

"They were irritating me!"

"They were trying to help you Zia."

I let out a huge sob while Carter sighed and picked me up, carrying me over his shoulder to the now empty couch. After a while, I stopped crying and the attendant came back, asking me to the dressing room to try on the dress she had found. She hinted that she hadn't chosen it based on the other's opinions like the previous dresses which relieved me. I reluctantly peeled myself off Carter's chest and followed the hassled attendant to the dressing room to try on yet another dress. I slipped it on over my waist as the attendant snapped it on from behind. I didn't look at myself in the mirror. I was too afraid. I very slowly began my walk back to the mirrored platform, taking care not to look down at my dress, while the attendant followed quickly at my heels.

"One foot in front of the other", I repeated in my mind. "Just one foot in front of the other. "

I finally made it to the platform, and I couldn't help but cry. This was the one. This was the dress. I turned around to look at Carter and found him quickly wiping tears from his cheeks. I laughed.

"Do you like it?" I asked, not able to stop myself from faux dramatically turning around to face him.

"It's- well you're- beautiful.".

The dress had a beautiful bodice, studded with Swarovski crystals, while the skirt was gauzy and white, giving the illusion that I was floating. It was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline that somehow pulled the entire dress together.

I turned to see Carter frantically trying to avoid crying by blinking his eyes what seemed like 20 times per second. Sometimes in our relationship, you have trouble distinguishing the woman from the man.

"Carter are you crying?"

"What?" He said, wiping a tear from his cheek.

"Shut up and get over here you big baby!"

Carter sheepishly shuffled towards the platform as the attendant smiled at us and told us she was going to talk to a fitting specialist. Carter embarrassed me thoroughly by kissing me full on the lips, hugging me to his chest as I tried to wriggle away.

"I love it Z."

"You also love scouring the Internet for provocative pictures of Zoë Kravitz."

"Well this is different", he replied, nuzzling my neck.

I was almost completely relieved until I saw Sadie. With Anubis. Being chased by security guards. Oh. My. Gods.

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Let's just say Anubis and I never really well...left Kleinfeld's. It's a wedding store! And well, what kind of girl walks into a wedding store without trying on a few dresses of her own! We slipped through a few hallways until we found ourselves in a huge warehouse filled with wedding dresses. There was literally every kind you could imagine. Everything from short, cocktail-type dresses to long, elegant, evening gowns were represented.

"Come on Anubis! What's wedding shopping without having a bit of fun!"

"Apparently wedding shopping that doesn't involve breaking the law!" He replied, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Keep it down!" I whispered tersely.

We quickly ducked to avoid being spotted by an employee searching for a gown when we heard a rustle coming from the right side of the aisle we were standing in.

"Ooh! Look at that one over there!" I exclaimed, when my eyes caught a white, gothic style dress with black lace trimming throughout.

"Sadie!" Anubis warned. "Let's get out of here!"

I grabbed his arm and ducked through the aisles, wriggling under racks and weaving through rows of taffeta.

"After we try on that dress!" I said longingly.

It was simply beautiful! I didn't understand why Anubis wasn't backing me up. I tugged him down again when I heard the shuffling of footsteps coming our way, but I didn't realize the footsteps were coming from behind us.

"Excuse me? Are you authorized to enter the warehouse?"

Anubis tried to act like the adult.

"Yes, we were erm- asked to inspect these erm-"

"Trains! We were asked to inspect the trains! They were looking a bit..." I paused, struggling to find a word. "Short?"

The employee raised an eyebrow at us.

"May I see your authorization?"

I cursed. Why wasn't there any need for fake I.D.'s in Ancient Egypt? Didn't the Egyptians need to keep track of the crazed magicians like Setne they had running amuck?

I exchanged a look with Anubis.

"Ha-Di!" I screamed, causing a rack of dresses to suddenly burst apart, giving Anubis and I time to scramble away. I heard the employee yell a terrified "Security!" behind us.

Anubis glared at me, "I knew this would happen!"

"Shut up and follow me!"

We turned through a few corridors while I desperately prayed there were some Egyptian artifacts displayed in Bridal Stores so I could portal us out of there. Men dressed in black trousers and muscle shirts started popping up all around us. I cursed again. Where's my idiot of a brother when you need him? We started heading towards the entrance to the building but not before we were stopped by two very angry looking magicians. My brother and Zia.

Anubis pointed to me defensively, "It was her idea!"

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I was at the front desk trying to convince the owners of Klienfeld's that we were not terrorists attempting to violently take over their store.

"I apologize for my sister and", I turned back to Anubis. "My distant Cousin's conduct." I finished. "We are fully prepared to pay for the damage they have caused the store if it means we can come back for my bride's fitting."

"We understand this", stated one of the owners, a slim, blonde woman with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. "But you have caused major disturbances to all of our departments and frightened many of our customers! We cannot allow you to come back and have us go through a repeat of this situation!"

"Please understand, we will be leaving these two back at home. I don't intend on bringing them along for the next fitting whatsoever."

Sadie gave me a pleading look which I returned with a cold stare.

The owner sighed, obviously exasperated with our situation, looking at her husband and placing her weathered face in her hands. "Fine, but next time, you will be facing charges!"

Zia and I nodded thankfully. We shook the owners' hands and exchanged awkward 'Thank You's!' before exiting the Bridal Store.

When we were outside, I had to restrain myself from murdering my sister.

"Sadie, what the heck was that!" I screamed at her.

"Anubis and I-"

"This was all Sadie!" Anubis cut in, which caused Sadie to send him a death glare.

"_I_", she corrected. "Thought it wouldn't hurt to take advantage of the occasion and try on a few dresses myself! And look, no harm was done!"

"Yeah", I shot back. "No harm except the 7,000 dollar charge to my credit card and the fact that we were almost not allowed to come back for Zia's fitting!"

Zia placed a hand on my shoulder, "Calm down Carter your sister didn't mean any harm."

She gave me a look of warning that must have meant I was getting a little ah, carried away. I looked down to see my fist had completely crushed my wallet into a thin, compact tube of leather and crumpled dollar bills. Horus's temper sure does grow on you...

I took a few deep breaths before turning angrily back to Sadie, "I don't know how you're going to do it, but I expect at least 5,000 dollars by the end of next month!"

"Of course!" She replied, taking a few steps back from me and raising her hands defensively. "Consider it done!"

"And", I add seriously. "You need to write a formal apology to those store owners as well as Amos. I'm sure he'll get a notification that magic was irresponsibly used here in Brooklyn, and that it was traced back to the 21st nome."

Sadie looked down at the toes of her combat boots. Amos was a little scary before deciding to follow the path of Set, but now, he was full on terrifying when he was angry.

"Yes", she said reluctantly after a few moments. I noticed her absently patting the wand in her back pocket.

"Good", I told Sadie. "Now, I'm going to go for a walk, because I am now, poor, in debt, and completely unsure of how to resolve those issues."

And on that happy note, I stalked away.


	3. Chapter 3: Rogue Camels

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I chased after Carter, weaving through the flock of slightly aggravated Manhattan citizens that all seem to leave work at exactly 5:30 PM. I finally caught up to him and spun him around so that he was facing me.

"Carter", I said, finding myself getting lost in his incredibly resentful eyes. "Things will work out. I know it."

He shook his head at me, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. I took his hand, leading him to a nearby park bench situated in front of what looked like a museum.

He fell ungracefully onto the park bench and I followed suit, hugging my knees before moving closer to him. The cold, spring breeze bit at my cheeks and caused my hair to fly backwards.

"Zia, do you really, really want to marry me?" He asked, emphasizing 'me', his eyes wide and betraying his utter hopelessness.

"Why would you ask that?"

He buried his face in his palms,"Because I'm an absolute mess."

"No", I corrected him. "_We're_ an absolute mess."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Carter, don't ever doubt that we're not in this together." I said, taking his hand in mine.

He looked away.

"I don't deserve you."

"I think it's the other way around."

Carter shook his head, frustrated, "You don't understand! Every time we walk down the street, every date, every trip, you should see how everyone gawks at you. And how they look at me. It's like you're the only one who doesn't realize that I'm way out of your league."

I rolled my eyes,"Thanks for the compliment."

"No Zia! You don't understand just how- how flipping beautiful you are! And you're logical, and intelligent, and amazingly witty. And I'm just- well- me."

"Carter. _You_ are more than just an unfinished statement at the end of a song about me."

Carter once again buried his face in his palms.

"You're amazingly smart", I started. "Oh, and did I mention handsome?"

Carter rolled his eyes.

"And you're kind, and you're incredibly sweet."

I gripped his hand a bit tighter.

"But most of all, what makes you special", I paused. "Is the fact that I'm head over heels in love with you."

And I kissed him, surprising him so much that he used his hands to steady himself on the bench, causing me to laugh at him.

"I love you too", he stated when we broke apart.

"I know that already you wimp", I replied, shoving him to the side.

And I kissed him again, and this time, it wasn't as awkward since he wasn't caught by surprise. And we decided to sit there on that park bench until the sun went down. We talked about anything but the serious things, trying to focus on the little things that didn't exactly matter. Carter talked about what he remembered of growing up with Sadie when he was younger. I told him embarrassing stories from my previous life in the first nome. And then the sun faded into the New York City skyline in shades of pink, orange, and finally purple. And when we had finished walking back to the 21st nome, we both collapsed onto the couch in the great room, and I found myself drifting to sleep in his arms.

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I woke up to the feeling of a wet, sticky substance smeared over my face. The first thought that popped into my mind: Sadie. And sure enough, her laughter slowly slipped into my consciousness as I realized a camel was standing directly above me, dripping saliva onto my cheeks.

"Sadie!" Zia and I yelled at the same time.

I began to blindly try and smack the rogue camel (Yes, only in Brooklyn House do we have the occasional rogue camel) in the face. This caused Sadie to laugh so hard she started to have trouble breathing.

"Oh my gods!" She said between giggles. "You should see the looks on your faces!"

I sat up to glare at her and started wiping the thick saliva off of my face.

"C'mon Hindenburg", she said, weakly doubling over, "Back to an amulet you go."

The camel, Hindenburg apparently, was very appropriately named, because at that moment, he let out a huge amount of gas. I found myself gagging from the smell. Sadie laughed for a moment too, before gagging herself and quickly returning Hindenburg to his amulet form.

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully as she turned slowly to look at us. I had summoned my khopesh from the duat, and Zia had two very damaging looking fireballs in her hands.

"Got to go now!" Sadie said quickly before hurriedly skipping up the steps.

Zia turned to look at me.

"You look terrible."

"So do you!" I returned.

We both laughed.

"I would kiss you good morning but-"

"No!" Zia interrupted, as I pressed my lips to hers, causing the thick, viscous liquid to string in between our mouths.

Zia flicked me sending a hot, sharp pain throughout my shoulder.

"We should go wash up", she suggested.

"Yeah, we probably should."

And I lifted her up and placed her on my back, and we slowly walked upstairs. I could tell Zia was still sleepy because of the dark circles beneath her eyes. I set her down in my bathroom and we washed our faces in the two separate mirrors, and I couldn't help thinking about our marriage. Just doing the little things together like this would make me happy. I grabbed her by her waist, throwing her over my shoulder, before dropping her on my bed. I heard a whispered "Thank You", and she dozed off. I was tempted to crawl in beside her, but I had things to take care of, and I wasn't as sleepy as her anyway. I forced myself not to watch her sleep and stepped quietly out of my room, coming face to face with my Uncle Amos. Something had to be wrong.


	4. Chapter 4: Disapproval

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Amos, as usual, looked impeccably dressed, with a chocolate brown suit, a matching fedora, and long dreads that were studded with Amber.

"Carter, I'm afraid we need to have a talk."

"Um, yeah sure, of course!" I replied nervously, causing Amos to let out a mirthless chuckle.

He led me to the great room where I found myself sitting in front of Amos's prized saxophone display. He sighed deeply.

"Carter, you're not going to want to hear this, but I think you should know that I don't exactly approve of your recent engagement."

What? This was the last thing I was expecting to hear from my uncle. I was torn between relief that we weren't nearing another apocalypse and anger that Amos didn't "approve" of my engagement. Honestly, I didn't care what he thought about Zia and I, but for him to say it so bluntly was a bit shocking.

"What?" I asked quizzically. "But why? You've known Zia and I have been dating for years now. Why all of the sudden disapprove?"

"Because you're deciding to get married, and honestly Carter, you're too young. Julius and I have both discussed-"

"You talked to my dad?" I nearly screamed.

Amos's eyes began to flicker between their usual dark brown and a bright red, "Of course Carter."

"So you and my dad have been", I paused. "What? Planning some type of intervention?"

"Carter you're 19. You're young. Impulsive. Impressionable."

"So what?" I smirked.

"You're simply too young to make this kind of decision", Amos said, looking down at his cracked, weathered palms.

"First of all", I said, taken aback. "Who are you to try and decide my life for me? It's my life. I'll do whatever the heck I want with it."

"Carter I'm not-"

"Listen to me Amos. I don't care if you approve, if you disapprove, heck, I don't care if you decide not to attend the wedding! But hear me when I say this", I said, my tone becoming a deep and threatening one. "You _will not_ keep me from marrying Zia. I swear it on the Crook and Flail."

Amos's eyes flashed with red hot anger.

"Have it your way nephew!" Amos remarked almost joyfully, backing towards the balcony of Brooklyn house, where he had a reed boat docked below. "But when your marriage fails only a month after it's beginning, don't expect my sympathy."

And he was gone.

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Anyone that knows my brother knows that he would be quite frankly lost without me, which is why I wasn't surprised when he came to talk to me after finishing his discussion with our Uncle Amos. The poor boy. He looked like a mix between seething anger and extreme sadness when he came to see me. I was sitting in my purple beanbag chair while listening to my iPod, so I had to pull my headphones out when he opened his mouth to speak. My headphones were so loud, I could actually hear Lily Allen's voice even though they weren't plugged in my ears.

_Riding through the city on my bike all day 'cause the filth took away my license. Doesn't get me down and I feel okay 'cause the sights that I'm seeing are priceless..._

Carter didn't seem to notice or comment on the slew of curse words and inappropriate references in her music, so I knew something was very wrong. I decided to politely inquire.

"What the heck are you doing in my room?"

"I just-" Carter stuttered. "Wanted to talk."

"Well then talk. We're all waiting", I said, gesturing to the multitude of stuffed animals in my room. I crossed my legs, in my opinion, effectively portraying Ellen, as I waited patiently for my brother to continue.

"It's Amos", he paused, looking down at the floor. "He's totally against the engagement. He said he's got dad in on it, and I'm afraid...they'll..." He trailed off.

"Carter", I said, genuinely concerned. "I'm so sorry."

I stood up and have him a hug. I felt a wet spot forming on my shoulder and I knew that he was crying.

"Carter they wouldn't do anything rash."

"I don't know if you've noticed Sadie, but Amos _is_ following the path of Set, a being of _chaos_, and not to mention our dad happens to be a very powerful god."

"Well they're powerful Carter, not stupid", I said pushing myself away from Carter by resting my hands on his shoulders.

He looked severely distraught. I decided I knew exactly what he needed. A good dose of Adele, Chamomile Tea, and some nice (unburnt) biscuits.

"Sit, sit", I said, gesturing to my now empty beanbag chair.

Carter awkwardly sat in the chair, his long legs causing his knees to jut out in front of his face. His hands were placed unflatteringly in his lap. I ignored by dorky brother's many shortcomings long enough to start up the Adele 21, pour us both some hot tea, and bake some mediocre biscuits. Carter acted completely unappreciative by asking to play some of dad's Jazz music (Someone named John Coltrane?), sipping on the tea only slightly, and barely even nibbling the biscuits.

We were interrupted at around noon when Zia dropped by my room. I think she was a bit surprised to see my brother in my room, as we usually avoid each other's personal space at all costs, but she quickly brushed it off. Zia was wearing khaki cargo pants with a pale orange shirt and canvas sandals. Zia has never been one for skinny jeans or, sadly, combat boots. She goes for the loose, casual look most of the time, and I guess it works for her.

"Is something going on here?" She asked, while simultaneously pouring herself a cup of tea. She dropped a few biscuits onto a dish and flipped through my iPod for what seemed like ages, before finally just deciding on an internet playlist of none other than Jazz music. I can't stand how Carter has rubbed off on her.

"Ummm...nothing", Carter said, before fleeing the room.

I rolled my eyes,"My brother is freaking out because my Uncle Amos and my dad don't want you two to tie the knot." I pantomimed tying a know with my hands.

Zia furrowed her eyebrows,"Really?"

"Yep", I replied knowingly. "He's afraid they're gonna try to sabotage the wedding or your relationship or something. You know how my brother freaks out about stuff like that."

I laughed a little bit, but stopped when I noticed Zia wasn't laughing with me.

"I'm going to go check on him."

Oh great, now I was going to have to scare Jaz out of the gymnasium and get her to come talk to me.

"Really Zia? You could stay here!" I said a bit desperately. "I have Ribena!" I waved the black currant juice beckoningly,"You know you want it!"

Zia just rolled her eyes, "I just need to go see if he's okay."

And she left, leaving me to go harass Jaz into singing Lily Allen with me.


	5. Chapter 5: Toddlers in Tiaras Gone Wrong

**Hey! Jessica here! I am crazy. Very crazy. And obsessive. This is why I have planned Carter and Zia's wedding, though they are fictional characters. Am I insane? You decide! It's on my profile Zarter4Ever because I can't paste links into chapters. :( ****Thank you TrueColorsNeverFade for her awesome suggestions and SanubisLover for encouraging me to add a bit more Sadie. Please follow and review! **

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Carter's not very skilled at well, living in the present. It seems he's always either dwelling on the past, or worrying about the future. Right then, I could only guess he was doing both. He was sitting on the terrace in his bedroom, one of his arms on each armrest while he stared into the Brooklyn streets. He jumped a little when I came up behind him, sitting myself next to him on the adjoining chair. I placed my arm over his.

"She told you didn't she?"

I nodded.

"Are you worried?"

"Carter, you seem to forget that you defeated Apophis. When chaos serpents come around, you have complete confidence in yourself, but when your father and uncle simply express their thoughts, you get like this."

I rested my head on his broad shoulder and he rested his chin atop my head.

"I guess you're right", he said, and the vibrations from his throat gave me an oddly warm feeling.

"We'll cross the whole Kane family reality TV show bridge when we come to it."

"Okay, Z."

I shifted myself onto his lap and curled up into his chest.

"We still have a lot to plan."

"I know."

"Then let's get to it."

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Zia had me in charge of finding music, and I didn't mind admitting that she would probably regret it. It was only three weeks until the wedding and there was still so much to do. I didn't know whether to do live music, or to hire a DJ, and I'm definitely not up to date with the latest music trends. Zia had already warned that she will inflict third degree burns on both my hands if I chose solely jazz music, but I honestly didn't understand what was so wrong with it. It's classic, calm, and not to mention relaxing. After picking through dozens of live bands, all of which were excruciatingly terrible, I decided to head to the Billboard Top 100 for some inspiration on modern-day culture's music. The first song was by a girl pop singer with multicolored hair and needlessly long fingernails. It seemed to be a journal of all of her sexual relationships, which I found disturbing and very inappropriate for a wedding. The second song was by a pretty blond girl and was about a boy who left her in pieces or something or another. It was a good song, but seemed a bit whiny, and also inappropriate for a wedding. The third song was a rap by a buff looking guy with a long goatee. It was about how he "gets all the ladies" and basically just entailed his self-appointed superiority over the human race. So far, music the majority of our population liked seemed to be the wrong way to go, so I went indie, searching out bands like Walk the Moon, Two Door Cinema Club, and Foster the People for music. I came up with a list of about 25 songs, which I verified with Jaz before presenting to Zia.

When I found Zia in her room, which she had converted into a mini factory line, she was shouting orders at Julian, Alyssa, and Felix while casting Hi-nehm spells at flower arrangements. Zia chose fire as the theme for the wedding, making everything various shades of red, orange, and yellow. She had decided to give out actual eternal orbs of fire as wedding gifts, and she was multitasking doing the flower arrangements while at the same time creating small orbs of fire and placing them in glass spheres. That's right. Normal people give out tiny champagne bottles or chocolates on their wedding. We were giving out eternally burning fireballs. I could tell from the way she looked that she was extremely tired.

"Zia?" I asked, coming from behind her.

She smiled at me, blowing a strand of hair from her forehead. Sweat was practically dripping from her forehead and there were huge bags under her eyes. Honestly, she looked as if she hadn't stopped working for days, much less gotten a fair amount of sleep.

"Hey Carter", she said, catching her breath.

"Why don't you take a break?" I replied, worried about her poor condition.

At the word break Zia immediately restored herself to her work.

"Carter you and I both know we have _no_ time for breaks", she said, while simultaneously shaping a glowing ball of fire between her fingertips.

"Zia, there won't be any point to having a wedding if you've burnt yourself out from using too much magic", I said, painfully remembering my mother's death when I was 8.

I picked Zia up by her waist causing her to scream at me while digging her toes into my thighs. I almost dropped her when her body temperature gave me a few first-degree burns, but was able to carry her to my bedroom. When I set her down on the bed, she glared at me, and for a second, I thought I saw flames in her eyes. I backed away from the bed, holding my hands up defensively.

"Stay. Here."

Zia held her glare for what was at least 5 minutes before sighing and flopping onto the bed.

"I'm so tired."

"I know", I said, tucking her into the bed sheets. She wriggled comfortably in between them, searching for warmth.

"I've got the music done, and I'll get Sadie to finish with the flower arrangements."

"What about the wedding gifts?" She said groggily. I noticed the amber in her eyes was beginning to fade to a dull brown.

"You'll do that later. Wait here while I get you something to eat."

I went downstairs and made soup, thinking back to when my mother was still alive. I remembered her standing above my then-short figure, helping me stir a spoon through thick, viscous tomato soup. I'd already lost her, and I absolutely couldn't lose Zia. What if she had accidentally burnt herself out today? Why didn't I check on her more often? A billion questions rang through my mind as a absently stirred the soup. I felt bad for not paying more attention to Z these past few days. When I had finished the soup, I poured it into a yellow bowl and dropped in a soup spoon from the utensil drawer. I poured a glass of lemonade and searched the cupboards for saltine crackers. I put everything together onto a large tray before carefully walking back up the stairs to my room.

When she saw me she murmured slightly, wriggling out from under her sheets to accommodate the tray. I set it on her lap and she patted the mattress beside her, inviting me to sit with her. I crawled in beside her setting my arm around her shoulder. She spooned the soup into her mouth, yawning between sips until she finally fell asleep. I kissed her on the forehead, and pushed her dark hair away from her eyes. Zia had been especially busy these past few months and we hadn't had much time to spend together lately. More than anything, I just wanted her to be awake enough to talk to me. I found myself lying on my back in the middle of my bedroom floor. It seemed like these few weeks leading up to the wedding, we were ending up spending less and less time together.

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I was tasked with finishing the flower arrangements, which I wasn't happy with. At the time, I was very busy with my own problems, which included teaching Shelby how to _properly_ make fake blood, but of course, Carter showed absolutely no regard to my mentorship towards Shelby.

When he burst in my room, he looked very tired, and there were red marks all over his milk chocolate skin along with some massive welts where Zia must have burned him. I made a mental note to thank her.

"Sadie, you're on flower arrangement duty", he said, pleading me with his eyes.

"Carter? Can't you see I'm busy?" I said, gesturing to Shelby, who was stirring the bowl of congealing red liquid beside me. She's eight now, and she's absolutely become a younger sister to me.

"Carter, can't you see your sister is _busy. _You should really respect her down time", Shelby added. I love that little girl.

"Sadie, just this one thing?" he begged. "You saw Zia, she's really tired", his eyelids were simply dripping with fatigue at this point.

"Ugh", I griped. "You know I _hate_ when others succeed in making me feel guilty."

"Thanks", he smiled gratefully, before heading off to what I assume was the infirmary. Zia had burned him quite severely. I heard him muttering something about me corrupting young initiates under his breath as he walked away.

"Let's go Shel", I said.

Shelby and I gathered what I called "A Magician's Essentials Kit". I had convinced Shelby to make one too. It's basically a bag of everything required in order to survive: our iPods, headphones, and packs of chewing gum. We headed towards Zia's room, the new wedding HQ, to see what was going on.

Cleo was holding what Carter referred to as "The Wedding Bible", the light green binder in which Zia had inscribed basically everything about the wedding. It was a very bad idea to put her in charge. She was flipping through the pages and had taken over Zia's usual job of giving orders, but she was much too nice about it.

"Julian?"

"Yes, Cleo?"

"Please add Calla Lilies to that arrangement."

"I don't want to."

"Okay."

Jaz was busy unsuccessfully braiding long pieces of scarlet, amber, and aurulent tulle into decorations to hang on the ceiling for the reception. It looked like a tangled mop of Toddlers in Tiaras gone wrong.

Felix was just adding chaos to the whole process by summoning penguins, and Julian was texting on his phone instead of gathering flowers to be turned into arrangements. I guessed he was texting his new girlfriend, he has a different one every week. That week he seemed to be fixated on a water elementalist from the Scandinavian Nome. You had to give that kid props for his success rates. Alyssa was sitting bored in a corner, absently shaping clay in her hands.

Overall, I definitely gathered that this room needed to be under my command.

"You!" I screamed at Julian. "Stop texting your girlfriend and get to work!" I held my wand threateningly in my hand. Julian rolled his eyes and got back to work on the arrangements. I was reminded of my commitment to cast joining spells at the flower arrangements. Julian's a great combat magician, but when it comes to divine words, he's simply horrid.

"Alyssa, be a dear and come cast some joining spells at these arrangements", Alyssa looked slightly annoyed that I had interrupted her clay-making but complied. I turned to Cleo.

"Cleo, you're a gem, but you simply have no leadership skills", I said, holding out my hand for the Wedding Bible. Cleo blushed and got up from her chair to hand me the binder. I was reminded of Felix when a penguin pecked me in the thigh.

"Ouch! Felix, stop summoning penguins and do something useful", I snapped, fingering through the binder for Zia's to-do list. "Zia said here, if Felix begins to summon penguins, remind him about his promise to work on those ice sculptures for the reception." I raised an eyebrow at him.

He groaned,"Why are _you_ suddenly the one in charge?"

"Don't question my authority!" I shot back, before going to help Jaz untangle the mess of tulle she was holding in her hands.

Pretty soon, probably due to my excellent leadership skills, things were running smoothly. Carter likes to comment that my leadership skills resemble those of communist dictators, but hey, they're effective aren't they?


	6. Chapter 6: Fire

**Hi! Don't forget to check out my Zarter wedding on my profile! I took a break for a few days, but now, you can go back to expecting a new chapter every day or two for a while, so be sure to follow so you can be notified when a new chapter is posted! Thanks! :)**

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The first nome had changed from the place it used to be before Amos became Chief Lector, the first thing being that there was a lot more red, and very little black. An imbalance of Ma'at and Isfet. I reminded myself to talk to Amos about that. I found myself struggling to leap over the stepping stones across the river that led to the Hall of Ages, as it had been a while since I had personally visited Amos. Younger initiates as well as older magicians pointed and whispered amongst each other as I walked by, so I knew the news of Carter and I's engagement had spread. People were judging the ideals of the future queen. I did my best to look regal, but I wasn't exactly sure how. I probably looked like a very forlorn giraffe.

When I finally reached the Hall of Ages, I found myself struggling to avoid noticing the vivid scenes that lined the hallway. Tales of love, of loss, of victory. My hand reached out to touch one when I was startled by the sound of Amos's shoes clicking towards me. I turned around, embarrassed. Amos was wearing dark green today, with emeralds locked between his long dreads. His leopard skin cloak was draped around his shoulders, and he had on a green porkpie hat that complemented his stout figure.

"Zia", Amos said, sounding sincerely pleased to see me. "What brings you to the first nome?"

I took a deep breath,"I just wanted to discuss the engagement."

Amos's coffee-stained smile went slack,"Of course. Come sit." He said, gesturing towards the end of the hallway.

We decided to take a seat in the war room, because there was nowhere to sit if Amos took his seat as Chief Lector other than the Pharaoh's throne, and that was reserved for Carter. It was slightly unnerving to be back in the room, reminded of the struggle to defeat Apophis, but I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. I sat in one of the maroon velvet chairs and Amos did the same. I was the first to speak.

"I understand you don't exactly agree with Carter and I's decision to marry?"

"You are correct."

"Well", I said, pausing before my next statement. "Are you planning to take action on that opinion?"

Amos gave a low chuckle,"Yes I am."

"Could I ask what that action might be?" I said calmly, though inside, my anger was bubbling threateningly.

"You'll see soon enough."

I couldn't stay calm any more. Before I knew it, flames were leaping around the room, pinging off of walls like rubber balls and curling like snakes around my feet. Amos waved a hand casually, and they dissipated.

"Zia, I only want what's best."

"You don't know what's best for me."

Amos sighed, as if talking to an irritating young child rather than an adult,"Zia, sometimes we have to do what's best for the people we care about, even if it's not what they desire. Do you really think I would stop this wedding if I didn't know that something would go wrong?" His anger became pleading, which made me curious.

"Exactly what would go wrong?"

Amos shook his head, and for a moment, I could tell he didn't want to keep Carter and I apart either, "I fear we as the Kane family have new enemies. Ones that aren't as apocalyptic as Apophis, but are still ruthless and will do anything in order to take back the crown."

"So what are you saying?" I sighed.

"In order to well...", Amos paused, studying the deep lines of his palms. "Preserve ties with these enemies, we were offering up..."

"What?" I asked, terrified now. Was Carter is danger?

"We plan on offering the title of Pharaoh's queen to the 212th nome."

"To the Russian Nome?" I screamed, seething mad.

"Zia calm down!" Amos yelled at me. "You must understand this is the only way to avoid a war!"

I felt like everything was crashing down around me. My head spun, and my eyes were blurry with tears that were a mix of sadness and anger. I noticed I was encased in flame now. The walls were catching on fire around me, and the floor was slowly blackening, but I didn't care. I left the war room, brushing past Amos and slamming the door behind me. I opened a portal using the Pharaoh's throne, which was technically breaking one of the very few sacred rules of the House of Life, but I didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore except for Carter, and if I wanted to protect the Kanes from these new enemies, I couldn't marry him.

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I was playing NBA on my playstation with Walt. As usual, I was losing by a large scale, but I wasn't going to give up. Walt was laughing beside me as I leaned into a hard right in consternation.

"You're terrible at this game, man."

"Shut up, Walt", I replied jokingly.

I was quite surprised when Zia burst into my room encased in flames, partly because she left trails of soot and melted carpet behind her, and partly because she had promised to avoid melting any more household items after the burning loofah incident. (Don't ask.)

"Z?" I said, trying to sound concerned rather than upset about the carpet. "What's wrong?"

Zia's flames dissipated all at once and she started sobbing.

Walt sat on my couch awkwardly until I gave him a warning glare. He sighed, got up, and shuffled back to his room.

"What's wrong?" I said, bundling her into my arms.

"Your idiot father and uncle", she let out another long wail.

"Zia what did they do?" I said, now seriously concerned. She hadn't told me she went to talk to Amos.

"It's- I- I can't marry you Carter", she said, her cheeks red and tearstained. She stepped away from me and swatted my arms away when I began to reach for her.

My heart dropped to my stomach and sat there like a stone. This was not happening.

"Are you breaking up with me?" I asked, my voice cracking. My throat became swollen.

She was silent, and closed her eyes for a few moments before replying,"Yes."

At that moment, my world came crumbling down on top of me, and I couldn't breathe.

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The wedding had been all of the sudden called off. I didn't know what exactly was wrong, but I figured something had happened between Carter and Zia, because my brother had been skulking around like a sloth all day, only exiting his room for the occasional bag of crisps. Not to mention Zia was nowhere to be found. I had decided to go searching today along with Walt to find her, as we were all worried she'd gotten kidnapped or hurt, but Carter had warned us that that wasn't the case. Still, I had decided to go looking. My idiot of a brother just doesn't possess my intuitive instincts. We were hopping a portal to the First Nome, and though Anubis had practically begged to come along, I had told him that Walt and I could handle ourselves. Walt kept looking over at me nervously and then looking away really quickly when I noticed. I don't think he had fully comprehended that I had chosen Anubis over him, and though Jaz had a massive crush on him, he couldn't seem to take a hint. What can I say? I just have that affect on men.

"Sadie, it's noon", Walt reminded me. I was reminded of that tricky thing the Egyptian portals have about the auspicious moments.

"Oh, yeah", I said, before casting a spell on our portal, a sphinx, which opened a vortex of swirling sand.

Walt jumped through first, and I followed. When we arrived at the first nome, I brushed the sand off my fingers before I decided to pay a visit to my Uncle Amos and see if he knew where Zia was. When I reached the end of the Hall of Ages, I found Amos carefully polishing one of his saxophones while sitting in his Chief Lector's throne. The bronze was already so clean it shone like gold, but my uncle has this thing about polishing his saxophones every day.

"Sadie! Walt!" Amos smiled. "It's nice to see you two in the first nome!"

Uncle Amos has always assumed I have a secret crush on Walt, and no matter how many times I prove otherwise, every time he sees us together, he insists that I still have a lingering crush on him.

I rolled my eyes,"Uncle Amos, we've got to ask you something important."

Amos furrowed his eyebrows in concern,"Of course Sadie, what is it?"

"We just wanted to ask if Zia has been here in the First Nome."

"No, no she hasn't", Amos said. "Why?"

Walt spoke up,"Well she left the 21st nome."

Amos face immediately became one of panic,"_Oh no, oh no no no no_!" He got up from his chair and began to pace.

"What?" I asked, concerned.

"When I talked to her, she must have, and they.." He trailed off.

"What!" I said angrily, I wanted answers.

Amos looked up at me, eyes wide, and said,"I'm afraid Zia has been kidnapped by the 212th nome."

That's when the fear finally began to set in.


	7. Chapter 7: Crazy Chicken-Headed Carter

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I had to go somewhere Carter wouldn't find me, and I had decided on the 147th nome, in Boulder, Colorado. One of my few friends, Kara, would be there, and I hadn't seen her very much since Iskandar's death. I was only able to pop in for visits every once and a while, and they were usually very short. I brushed the sand from my robes as I took in my surroundings. The 147th nome was simply beautiful. There were huge glass windows that made up each wall, and I could see the snow-capped mountain peaks' silhouettes against the setting sun. The building was in the mountains, which made the scenery beautiful and protected it from any curious non-magicians who could be walking by. The nome wasn't busy, making the hallways rather empty, but it was still one of my favorite branches of the House of Life by far.

I walked briskly, wanting to meet with Kara in her dorm before meeting the nome's leader, Claire Thorson. The few magicians who I walked by seemed friendly and down to earth, many carrying backpacks and water bottles. Camping was very popular here in the 147th nome. Many people waved at me or gave me a quick nod of respect. I walked confidently, struggling to remember where Kara's dorm was. I was startled when someone bumped into me from behind. I turned around and saw one of the ugliest faces I had ever seen. The man was wearing dark, tinted sunglasses to cover his eyes, which I guessed had to look terrible. His face was etched with deep scars, some bright red and others deep purple. Bulbous, red welts covered his cheeks and forehead, and his hair was black and patchy, as if he had pulled out some parts of it bald, while letting the other parts run wild. I tried not to look stunned when he reached his hand out for a shake.

"Good evening Zia Rashid", he spoke in a deep, crackly voice.

How did he know my full name? Maybe it was because of the engagement, I told myself.

"Hello", I said, reluctantly taking his scarred hand in my own.

"Congratulations on your recent engagement."

Should I tell him I broke up with Carter? No, I decided, why go through the hassle of explaining my conversation with Amos.

"Thank you!" I replied, smiling.

"Let me show you to your room", the man said.

"I don't have a room yet", I said coolly. "I'm here to meet my friend, Kara."

"Kara?" the man said, chuckling a deep, gravelly laugh as he did. "Oh I know the girl you're looking for! A sweet girl isn't she?"

"Yes", I replied evenly. I was beginning to become scared.

"Come with me", the man said, his eyes glittering with malice.

"I should really go check in with Claire first", I said quickly.

"I'll go with you", the man said, hinting that he knew I was wary of him with his slight smile.

"You shouldn't", I replied sternly.

"It would be _my pleasure_ ", the man replied, putting emphasis on each syllable.

I gave up, I could deal with this man if I needed to anyway,"Of course then, do lead me to Kara's room."

The gentlemen smiled at me, showcasing his yellowing teeth and deep red tongue,"It would be _my honor_."

We began walking down the halls, taking a few turns along the way. Since the strange man didn't seem to do anything abnormal, I had decided to give my attention to the beautiful scenery outside. The pine trees rose up like pillars all around the mountains. Snow that looked free of any impurities covered the ground like a soft blanket. I saw animals scurrying about the trees, and the sounds of birds calling resonated through the air. My mind was violently jerked out of the beautiful forest when I turned around and heard the loud swirling sound of a portal. The man was right behind me now. I should have stopped him and realized that we were now in an entirely empty hallway. I summoned fire, but the man was able to put out the flames with the flick of a finger. All of the sudden I was being gagged and my arms were being bound together with binding spells. The man laughed as he carried me over to the portal."This is almost too easy", he whispered into my ear. His thick saliva dripped onto the side of my face as he did. I screamed through my gag as I desperately tried to kick my captor. I gave him a good kick in the arm which was returned with a heavy slap in the face that made me wince in pain. I touched my face gingerly with my hand, and it almost felt like my skin was burning. When I was roughly thrown into the portal, I emerged in a place where everything was black.

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I was sitting in my room, lazily watching Outrageous Acts of Science while munching on a bag of chips. I was wearing pajamas, and I honestly couldn't even remember the last time I'd showered. Every second that went by I saw the gentle curve of her lips, the deep amber of her eyes, that beautifully pointed nose. I couldn't get her out of my mind no matter how many times I tried. I kept trying to remember her lemony scent, and at each attempt, I failed. I was too stunned, too hopeless, too tired to cry. The day she broke up with me, I had depleted my store of tears. I just wanted to feel numb. I got up to get another bag of chips when Sadie and Walt burst into my room. The first thing Sadie did was comment on my smell.

She held her nose and fanned the air in front of my face,"Brother, dear I know you're depressed and all, but do take a shower so the rest of us don't have to be affected by your repulsive smell."

I glared at her,"Leave me alone Sadie."

"Carter", she started slowly. "It's Zia, she's been-"

"What the hell happened to Zia?" I said hurriedly, simultaneously summoning my khopesh from the duat.

"She's been kidnapped."

All of the sudden, my brain became clearer than it had been in days, and all that mattered was Zia's safety. I pushed Sadie and Walt out of the way and broke into a run to reach the door. I was going to kill someone today, I decided, because whoever touched Zia, was going to pay the price.

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After my brother, the psycho chicken-headed maniac, went completely mad. I decided I'd better come along too, just to make sure he didn't completely obliterate everything in his path. Carter was basically charging down Brooklyn Avenue in his Horus avatar form, crushing cars underfoot and hurling lampposts into the street. Terrified people ran this way and that, barely avoiding being crushed by the crazy chicken man.

"Carter!" Walt and I screamed, desperately trying to divert his attention from destroying everything in his path. He was basically like bloody Godzilla.

"Carter!" We screamed again, this time, he looked down at us. I became very scared he'd mistake us for a lamppost at that moment.

"Carter", Walt called. "You're not helping Zia by storming on a wild rampage across Brooklyn Avenue."

"She's not in Brooklyn Carter", I piped in. "She's in Russia! It's all Amos's fault!"

Maybe I shouldn't have told him it was my uncle's fault, but hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. My brother turned back into his human form, a terribly sweaty, smelly, teenaged boy wearing his pajamas. He was panting heavily. He's not as menacing when out of avatar form, I decided.

"Carter seriously", I said, waving the air in front of me. "Zia doesn't want you to come looking for her smelling like Sobek when he's sweaty."

Walt coughed beside me in agreement. Carter just rolled his eyes.

"Where in Russia?", he said seriously.

"The 212th nome", I replied. "Some of Vlad Menshikov's mates must have taken her."

This made Carter even more angry as he picked up a piece of sidewalk and crushed it in his fist to a thin powder. Men, I told myself, very insane creatures when they're angry.

"I will _kill_ them. Every last one of them", my brother declared.

I rolled my eyes at my mad brother,"You can't just kill everyone Carter, that will just prove to them you're as bad a pharaoh as they think you are."

My brother hung his head in defeat,"You're right Sadie."

"Let's get back to Brooklyn House", Walt suggested. "Then we'll go looking for her."

Carter nodded vigorously and broke out in a sprint towards Brooklyn house. Walt and I followed.


	8. Chapter 8: Leonid Saves the Day! Almost

**Hey guys! I'm kinda on a streak lately aren't I? Posting two stories in one day like that, but oh well... Anyway, I saw someone British had read the story and had continued to read it up to one of my last few chapters, so you absolutely ****_have _****to tell me whether or not my Sadie perspective is really stereotypical or not! PM me please! ALSO AzureOtter commented and even FOLLOWED AND FAVORITED my story! Omigosh I love her stories so I basically flipped out! I love Les Mis so much! My favorite Les Mis song is Master of The House, the 2012 movie version. Ahhh to fall in love with the theatre... Okay that was it. Sorry it was incredibly long and off-topic. Thanks! Follow and please please please PLEASE review! If you do, you will receive pop-tarts harvested from dead Nyan Cats in your mailbox tomorrow! ;)**

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I could hear the blood pumping in my ears. My heart was swollen with fear. I had been here for days now. The only human contact I received was the occasional, thickly-accented voice that handed me a cup of water and a few poorly seasoned vegetables with an entrée of tough meat through a thin slit in the door. I had tried to escape using flame, but everything seemed fireproof. The only light I had was the dim flicker of my fingertips, and as I was running out of the magic that held together my life force, I knew the flicker wouldn't last much longer. I was desperately trying to melt the walls down with no success. I was startled by a soft rapping on my door.

I scurried over to it, leaning my ear to the thin crack and whispering,"Who is it?"

"It is Leonid."

My heart soared with relief,"Leonid! Thank you! Get me out of here."

"I cannot Zia", Leonid said. His English had improved since we had first met him,"You must stay here while I get help. Then we will figure out how to free you without Carter coming."

I frowned,"Why can't Carter come?" I inquired.

Leonid sighed,"You are just the bait, Zia. Kira's plan is to capture the entire Kane family, starting with Carter and his sister. She is hoping Amos will follow, in order to save his niece and nephew. Then, she wants to steal the crown."

"What?" I gasped. "Who the Horus is Kira?"

"It is Menshikov's sister", Leonid whispered. "Her name means dark."

Oh great. Not only was she related to Menshikov, but also her creepy name meant dark.

"How old is she?"

"Only 23, but she has many followers, and she is very good at manipulating others into getting what she wants."

I cursed,"Okay, you go find help and I'll", I paused. There was nothing I could do.

"And I'll wait here", I sighed.

"Okay, I'll be back soon."

"Okay."

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I was in falcon form now, and Sadie flew beside me as a kite. Walt looked pretty defeated riding below on his camel, Hindenburg. We landed in front of Menshikov Palace, and I summoned my khopesh out of the duat. The museum was closed today, which gave Sadie, Walt, and I an advantage. Having tourists around would have made our job a lot more difficult. I performed quick invisibility spells on all of us, and we quietly snuck in through the back garden. When we were inside, I found my way to the entrance of the 212th nome, and we all crawled through the tiny passageways that led inside. I hate to admit it, but the St. Petersburg nome may just be one of the grandest ones of all. Crystal chandeliers hung everywhere, and their light gently reflected off of the marble floors. Beautiful statues and paintings decorated the walls, and veins of gold trailed through the marble, making the dark stone glitter with a brilliant light. I wished the invisibility spells could muffle any noises we made, but unfortunately they couldn't. This meant we had to walk very slowly. Sadie kept whispering that she was uncomfortable and that Walt and I needed to move away from her, but with her being _invisible_ and all, it was difficult not to bump into her. Of course, being Sadie, she did not find this a valid argument. I felt a rough shove from my right.

"Sadie!" I whispered tersely. "Stop shoving Walt and I and focus on looking for clues!"

"Shut up, Carter", she retorted. "Rub some dirt on your face and _be a man_!"

"Be quiet both of you!" Walt mumbled angrily under his breath. "You're both gonna get us killed! See that guard over there! He's staring directly at us! And he's got a khopesh!"

Sadie then cursed, and when I tried to remind her that cursing isn't a becoming habit for a seventeen-year-old girl, she jabbed me in the neck with her long, sharp, talons she refers to as fingernails.

"Ow!" I screamed, which caused the guard to step closer. "Great Sadie", I said. "Next time, keep your hands to yourself."

She glared at me, her nose flared similarly to a Komodo Dragon's before it's about to attack, I decided. Walt exhaled heavily, and separated the two of us by standing in between Sadie and I. I noticed that our invisibility spells had worn off. We were surrounded. Crap.

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While my brother clumsily summoned his khopesh from the duat, effectively slitting open his left hand, I took charge of the situation.

"Ha-wi!" I shouted, _strike_.

Several guards were struck down and skidded across the marble floors. My brother had finally gotten over his bleeding hand, and had summoned his Horus avatar. I guess seeing the guards boosted his confidence because he started picking them up and flinging them like Barbie dolls all over the place. Also, he pounded his fist against the ground so hard that the marble shattered and many remaining guards were thrown back from the impact. Meanwhile, Walt was rendering the guards' weapons useless by turning them into dust. I became so unfocused on what they were doing I didn't notice when a hard blow hit my right ear.

"Sadie!" I heard Walt call from behind me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm just bloody injured I guess", I replied.

"Good", Walt hollered from behind me. "Keep fighting!"

It's very hard to focus on fighting when a burning pain is simmering on the right side of your face, but being the resilient girl I am, I managed to keep going. Soon, we had cleared the entire hallway of all except for one guard. He was curled up in fetal position and appeared to be praying to the gods that we wouldn't destroy him. I stepped closer. It was Leonid!

"Carter, it's Leonid!" I said, causing him to sigh with relief. I didn't know how much more avatar-shifting my brother could take, as he looked extremely worn-out. Leonid rose from his fetal position.

"Hello Sadie", he nodded. "Carter", he continued. His thickly-accented voice warped our names a bit, but I was too relieved to notice.

"Hey Leo!" I said, pulling him into a tight hug that very much startled the young boy.

"Nice to see you, man", Carter said.

Have I ever told you he's terrible at sounding cool? After I ended my hug, Carter attempted to give Leonid one of those stupid chest-bump handshake things that boys do, but ended up knocking the breath out of himself by pounding himself in the chest. Leonid gave him a slightly puzzled look. My brother is a complete embarrassment sometimes. Carter awkwardly gasped for air while clutching his chest as Walt and Leonid exchanged their hello's. After my brother recovered, the first thing he did was ask where Zia was.

"She is in Kira's prison", Leonid informed us. "I have spoken with her, and she wishes for you both to be safe. You must go Carter and Sadie."

"What?" Carter said. "But why? And who is Kira?"

I was wondering the same thing. Who was this Kira? And what exactly did she have against my brother and I?

"Kira Menshikov", Leonid continued. "Vladimir Menshikov's sister. She wants nothing more than to avenge her brother's death and take the Kane family crown."

What? Why hadn't we ever heard of this Kira before? Amos should really notify us when psychotic Russian magicians threaten to kill our family.

"Okay", my brother said confidently. "Where is this Kira, how do I defeat her, and where the holy Horus is Zia?"

"I will lead the way", Leonid whispered, nervously looking around him. "But you will need to stay silent and be aware of any attackers that come through. As for how to defeat Kara, I do not know the answer to your question."

Well _that _sounded promising. We all nodded before cautiously following Leonid down the corridor. We had formed a sort of rectangle, with Leonid in front, Walt and I on opposite sides behind him, and Carter in the back with his khopesh. I noticed his hand hadn't stopped bleeding and out of fear that he would simply bleed to death, I handed him a bandage which he quickly and skillfully wrapped around his palm. I didn't get a thank you. Meanwhile, up ahead, I heard the 'click, click' of a guard's boots and Leonid dashed toward a Grecian-style pillar and hid. We all followed suit. Carter placed an index finger to his lips and mouthed a 'shhh' at the group of us, because we were totally going to scream bloody murder at that moment Carter, totally. Somehow, even though we were completely silent and still, the guard could sense us somehow. He started walking directly towards our hiding place. Carter held his khopesh to his chest, ready for an attack, while Leonid began to call on Shu for some wind-related assistance. I slipped my wand out of my back pocket and readied myself for a battle. When the guard finally approached us, I was completely taken aback. Never had I seen anyone this ugly other than maybe Vlad Menshikov, but this guy definitely came in second place. First of all, the bloke either had terrible acne or he had gotten the measles one too many times, because his face was absolutely horrid to look at. Deep scars covered his cheeks, and his eyes were sunken and bloodshot. When he registered Carter and I, he broke out into a grin.

"The Kane siblings", he began. "How nice of you to pay a visit to our little nome here in St. Petersburg."

"We know what you're up to Scarface", my brother said warningly. "Tell me where I can find my girlfriend."

"No need for name calling boy", the guard said with an almost sweet, honey-like evil that made the whole situation worse. "You're very impolite", he added. "I think I'll have to take you to see Lord Kira."

What the heck? Did he address the Kira woman as _lord_? We really needed to start checking up on the neighboring nomes more often, and I decided Amos was really quite terrible at filling people in.

He turned to Leonid,"Oh, and Leonid, do not forget what you have been promised. In order to achieve what you wish for, you must aid us in destroying the Kane family."

Leonid gritted his teeth before stepping away from us.

"You filthy traitor!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "You disgusting, horrifying, gag-inducing-"

"Sadie shut up!" Carter yelled behind me, as he and Walt restrained me from kicking Leonid in the groin. Leonid stared down at his feet, obviously ashamed of his actions.

Scarface chuckled,"Quite the temper you have there Kane girl, but you see, Leonid has more _important_ things on his agenda than you. Things like, I don't know, a certain Egyptian girl you all were looking for?"

Carter looked at Leonid like he was going to strangle him. I'd never seen my brother look more terrifying in my life, and that's coming from _me_. Leonid cowered nervously behind Scarface. This made me more angry and my feet went flying wildly in the air as Walt and Carter held me back. Before any of us could react, Scarface had us trapped. What looked like thousands of Russian soldiers arrived, all armed with spears, rifles, swords, and even donkeys as weapons. You'd be surprised by how much damage they do in battle. Before I knew it, Carter, Walt and I were being entwined in the Seven Ribbons of Hathor, and from the looks of it, we were going to die. I could only hope it would be quick and painless as possible.


	9. Chapter 9: Kira Menshikov

**I had to publish this chapter today because I personally cannot stand when cliffhangers leave you hanging for more than 24 hours. I literally die. This is part of the reason why I might not survive to read The Blood of Olympus, it's that bad guys. Okay, here goes nothing. You guys are probably going to murder me in my sleep for this chapter, but don't forget, I'm always one for happy endings! :) **

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Leonid had come back with keys to my prison, and after freeing me, we both sped through the hallways, staying close to the walls so as not to be seen. We kept passing guards that should have spotted us, but somehow, I guess they didn't notice our passing. After about the third turn, Leonid stopped.

"There is a guard ahead Zia."

"Well I don't see why we stopped. The other guards didn't seem to notice me."

"But this guard, he has the eyes of a predator, he is sure to notice us."

I cursed under my breath,"Well let's just run, he might not catch us."

"Okay."

We made it about halfway through the corridor when I heard an unmistakably Russian accent yell,"Niet!"

Leonid and I both turned around at exactly the same time to see a tall, heavily built man towering above us. Strangely, Leonid seemed calm about the entire situation, so I mimicked his laid back attitude. The man and Leonid started speaking in rapid Russian. I only knew a few Russian words, but I was able to make out "girl", "Kira", "good", and "trick". The fact that I made out "trick" scared me, but I decided to wait until the conversation was over before asking Leonid about it. Once they stopped talking, the guard ended up letting us go.

"Leonid, what was that about?"

"Oh um", Leonid looked sheepishly at his boots,"Nothing Zia. We are safe. That is what matters, right?"

This made me suspicious. I summoned my staff from the duat and pointed it at his chest.

"What matters is that you know whose side you're on", I said warningly.

Leonid held his hands near his head and raised them defensively,"I am on whatever side you are on, Zia. I am very concerned for your well-being and safety."

"What about the Kane's?" I said, my voice slicing through the air like a knife. "What about _their_ well-being."

"Zia-"

"ANSWER ME!"

Leonid exhaled in defeat,"I love you Zia."

What? That might have been the last thing I was expecting from Leonid.

"This is not the time for games. Tell me the truth."

"No honestly, I do", Leonid started. "Every day I-"

"THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR CONFESSIONS!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, and I pushed the staff into his chest, knocking Leonid onto the ground. Alarms began sounding everywhere, but at this point, I didn't care.

"Stay away from the Kane's. And stay away from me", I said, before giving him a hard kick in the abdomen.

And with that, I ran.

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After we were captured, we were taken into a large room that resembled a ballroom, and had decor similar to the rest of the building. There was a throne on which a young, blond, woman dressed in light blue robes sat, calmly filing her fingernails. Being the sister of Vlad Menshikov, I expected Kira to be, well, ugly, but this woman was beautiful. Walt gaped at her, mouth wide, as we shuffled into the ballroom. She had high, structured cheekbones, with a small, pointed nose that gave her sharp yet graceful features. Her eyes were a light shade of blue that reminded me of reflected pool water, and her cheeks were a rosy pink. Her hair was pale gold, and it cascaded to her shoulders where the blond locks ended in large, wavy curls. She had a small tiara atop her head, with a single, purple amethyst set in the gold structure. I guess Vlad just wasn't the guy with the looks in the family, because though she wasn't Zia, this girl was hot. I kicked Walt in the shin when I noticed saliva dripping from his lips. Kira smiled at us, and for a moment, she didn't seem that bad. Maybe Kira is just misunderstood, I thought. She's way too beautiful to do anything so rash. Then I was reminded of Zia, and I had the urge to take the tiara off of her head and stab it through her eyeball. She turned away from her captives and began playing with a small droplet of water in between her long fingernails, which were painted clear but had shimmery ombré towards the tips. She must be a water elementalist, I thought. This meant Zia's fire magic would only work on her if her guard was completely down, otherwise, it would do practically no damage. I desperately tried to wriggle from my binds, but the guards had them so tightly wrapped around my body, I could barely breathe, let alone fight. Sadie started cussing Kira out in front of me, using some very, very choice words to describe her fashion choice. "Blue? Seriously, blue!" Sadie screamed. "What do you think you're some type of ice queen! Your lack of highlights is disgusting! You have blonde hair! Use it to your freaking advantage! You're a complete-" I cannot repeat the rest of her sentence, but know that her words were not very appropriate for a girl of her age. Kira let Sadie continue her rant for a while, but with the flick of Kira's wand, a binding spell had shut my sister's mouth shut. Even with the binding spell however, everyone knows there's no way to _completely_ shut Sadie up, so I heard her muffled insults through the bind. I should really start working on a stronger version of that spell if we live, I thought.

"The Kane's", Kira started. Her voice was light and buttery, like one of those automated voices that your hear on elevators. "And you've even bought a friend! How nice."

Sadie's muffled insults became louder, and I made out some comments on Kira's lack of combat boots.

"Now, the only thing left to do is wait for your friend Zia", she said. I shot daggers at her with my eyes. I was going to kill this woman. "Then, our party will be complete. Your uncle might even join us if we're lucky."

At that moment, I heard a loud crack, and turned my head towards the ceiling. Veins of cracks began to trail through the walls until entire chunks of ceiling started to fall down. I looked up to see Zia standing there on the roof of the building. Her entire body was engulfed in flame, and she had a few red marks on her face, but I didn't think I'd ever seen her look more beautiful in my life.

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I saw Carter and a mixture of relief and fear spread through me. Then, I was treated for a rude awakening when I fell through the ceiling. I had led the guards here, knowing that with the amount of them I had tailing me, the roof of the building would have to give. I landed gracefully on my feet, and immediately went to protecting the Kane's.

"N'dah!" I yelled, causing weak, blue shields to form around Walt, Sadie, and Carter. I knew the shields wouldn't hold long, so I set to work on finding Kira. I almost collapsed when I saw her. She looked exactly like my friend from Boulder, Kara. _Kira_, _Kara_. I repeated over and over in my mind. _Oh no. _She was sitting rather calmly on her throne, which had been somehow unaffected by the ceiling's collapse. Protection charms, I guessed. She seemed eerie, simply watching her nome crumble around her. When she saw me, she broke out into a smile. A beautiful, creepy, terrifying smile. Her sparkling white teeth were sharp and pointed, and they contrasted starkly against her lips, which were a deep, blood red. "Ma'at", she spoke calmly, and the pieces of ceiling began slowly rising back to their original position. I couldn't speak, because for her to be able to use that kind of divine word and not be of Pharaoh's blood was almost impossible. Guards that weren't unconscious or seriously injured quickly recovered, and all weapons were pointed at me. I drew up a quick protective circle around myself, and prayed that it wouldn't weaken under Kira's water magic. Kara, or Kira, I reminded myself, spoke first.

"Zia!" She said, and I almost could believe we were back in Boulder, and she was about to invite me to sit on her faded Hello Kitty mattress and talk about what cute boys she had gone camping with in the 147th nome. But I knew that wasn't the case.

"Kira", I replied, with none of the joyfulness in my voice that she had used.

Kira frowned,"Z, you know you can still call me Kara if you want."

"I'd rather not", I said stonily.

Kira quickly masked any feelings of friendship and replaced them with a face of indifference,"Have it your way Zia."

"I will", I replied.

I searched the room for Carter's brown eyes, and was relieved when I found him, Sadie, and Walt huddling beneath my weakening protective shield. Carter gave me a weak smile, but I could tell his condition was terrible. He had a bandage on his left hand, and there were gashes covering his knees and calves. A bright red seeped through his shirt, and I knew he must have had wounds on his chest and back. Walt and Sadie looked no better.

"I present you with a choice", Kira started. "Because you are my former friend."

"Please, don't give me any special treatment. I'd rather like to dissolve any memories of our friendship from my mind."

"Of course", Kira spat, her eyes full of anger. "I will give you a choice only because I show my enemies _mercy_."

"May I ask a question first, Kira?"

"Sure", she replied coolly, laying her hands gently on her lap.

"Why didn't I ever know you were Menshikov's sister?"

Kira smirked at me,"It was because I could not pronounce myself as a Menshikov given the reputation of my family name. The House of Life has always shown nothing but scorn towards my family, which is part of the reason I sit in front of you today with a _choice_."

"Do continue."

"The first choice is that you die in honor of the House of Life, and your friends here will be spared. I will become Pharaoh's queen."

"What is the second choice?"

All of the friendship and none of the malice returned to her voice,"You can live. You can stay here, in the 212th nome, and together, we could take the throne. You would become Chief Lector, and I Pharaoh. Imagine Zia, you could have anything you've ever wanted. The House of Life, your friends from Brooklyn, even a position as Chief Lector. Think about it Zia, the House is crumbling, and without our leadership, it will fall. The only condition is that the Kane's die. I will even spare their friend, the camel boy."

At this, Walt grimaced and started cracking his knuckles.

"I choose neither", I said calmly.

"Neither?" Kira laughed.

"I will live, the Kane's will live, and unfortunately, you will die."

I used the rest of my magic to release the binds of Hathor from my friends, and send a Pillar of Fire towards Kira. I knew it meant I would most likely die, making my previous statement untrue, so I wasn't surprised when my vision faded and everything became black.


	10. Chapter 10: AN

Jessica here! I plan on continuing this story; however, I need a break from writing right now. I will continue within the next week. :) See you all later! 


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